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As the parent of two kids, I really don't understand this at all, much less the idea that it's some sort of trump card against lower car lifestyles. Have you ac

As the parent of two kids, I really don't understand this at all, much less the idea that it's some sort of trump card against lower car lifestyles. Have you actually considered what a car does to your life? Think how much better your life would be if you didn't have to worry about cars killing your children, as it's one of the biggest sources of child death. Imagine the freedom if your kids could go to sports practice, to school, to music lesson, without you driving them everywhere. People in he Us have some sort of Stockholm Syndrome with cars. Their are our captor but we seem to love them still.

junaru 3y ago
Number of kids and population count of your town please. Thank you.
- epistasis 3y ago
  I grew up in a small rural town where people were not slaves to cars because you could get around with or without a car. Now I'm in a suburb, and the closest services are about a mile away, so everyone is dependent on a car. I can get most of my day done on bike, and the kids definitely prefer bikes to the car, but as they get older and have needs further out we will be car dependent again But it doesn't have to be that way. Transit can fill that gap when you want something bigger than a small rural town. However, cars have been baked into most of our suburban design in a way that transit can not grow to fill that gap. We have planned our entire suburban areas around the idea of being stuck in a car for all needs. My partner and I would honestly prefer a city, but cities have also been planned to keep as many people out as possible, so very few new apartments get built, and when they are built, it's usually almost entirely single and two bedroom apartments because there's such a huge backlog of demand to live in cities. There is a better life possible, but US law has made it illegal to build.
Kretinsky 3y ago
You're implying that everyone should live in a densely urban zone? I grew up in the alps, and spent a reasonable amount of my teens waiting for the bus (1 every 2h) to go in town. Cars are decentralized means of transportation that, in some cases, can be useful.
- epistasis 3y ago
  I am advocating against car dependency, a particular style of development in the US that few Europeans understand until they live in it. I am not advocating for getting rid of all cars, or even saying that car-dependent areas should be banned! I'm advocating for allowing those who want to choose something other than a car to have that choice. However, the way that US law is constructed, and 99% of land use is planned, a car is needed to fetch a loaf of bread, get to daycare, visit friends, or to perform any of the basics of life. Imagine your house is an island, and every other destination is an island, and your car is the only way to get between them. That's the assumption of the entire US planning professions.

junaru 3y ago

Number of kids and population count of your town please. Thank you.

epistasis 3y ago
I grew up in a small rural town where people were not slaves to cars because you could get around with or without a car. Now I'm in a suburb, and the closest services are about a mile away, so everyone is dependent on a car. I can get most of my day done on bike, and the kids definitely prefer bikes to the car, but as they get older and have needs further out we will be car dependent again But it doesn't have to be that way. Transit can fill that gap when you want something bigger than a small rural town. However, cars have been baked into most of our suburban design in a way that transit can not grow to fill that gap. We have planned our entire suburban areas around the idea of being stuck in a car for all needs. My partner and I would honestly prefer a city, but cities have also been planned to keep as many people out as possible, so very few new apartments get built, and when they are built, it's usually almost entirely single and two bedroom apartments because there's such a huge backlog of demand to live in cities. There is a better life possible, but US law has made it illegal to build.

Kretinsky 3y ago

You're implying that everyone should live in a densely urban zone? I grew up in the alps, and spent a reasonable amount of my teens waiting for the bus (1 every 2h) to go in town. Cars are decentralized means of transportation that, in some cases, can be useful.

epistasis 3y ago
I am advocating against car dependency, a particular style of development in the US that few Europeans understand until they live in it. I am not advocating for getting rid of all cars, or even saying that car-dependent areas should be banned! I'm advocating for allowing those who want to choose something other than a car to have that choice. However, the way that US law is constructed, and 99% of land use is planned, a car is needed to fetch a loaf of bread, get to daycare, visit friends, or to perform any of the basics of life. Imagine your house is an island, and every other destination is an island, and your car is the only way to get between them. That's the assumption of the entire US planning professions.